Mary Chapin Carpenter Keynote Speaker at Americana Conference This Week

NASHVILLE – Mary Chapin Carpenter will be the subject of the Americana Music Association’s Festival and Conference 2010 Keynote Interview, sponsored by ASCAP. The interview, conducted by Ken Paulson, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Freedom Forum, Newseum and Diversity Institute, will take place Thursday, Sept. 9, from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. in the Capitol Ballroom at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel.

 

An acclaimed singer-songwriter, Carpenter has crafted an extraordinary and lasting impression on a global audience by infusing elements of folk, Country, acoustic, rock and blues into a soundscape uniquely her own. Over the course of a 12-album recording career, Carpenter has won five Grammy Awards, sold more than 13 million records and notched four No. 1 singles and 12 Top 10 hits. Carpenter has also received three Academy of Country Music Awards and a Country Music Association Award, all in the female vocalist category. In addition, she has won 13 ASCAP Most Performed Song Awards for her success on both the Country and pop markets. Her latest release, The Age of Miracles, is her twelfth studio album and was released in April 2010 via Zoë/Rounder Records.

 

Coinciding with the album’s release, the Americana Music Association honored Carpenter on April 27 with the esteemed “Spirit of Americana” Free Speech in Music Award, co-presented by the First Amendment Center. The award recognizes artists who have used their work to raise awareness and promote free speech through their music and other efforts. Past recipients include Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, Judy Collins, Charlie Daniels and Steve Earle.

 

Prior to his post as president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum, Newseum and Diversity Institute, interviewer Ken Paulson served as editor and senior vice president/news of USA Today and USATODAY.com. For the past 30 years, Paulson has drawn on his background as both a journalist and lawyer, serving as the editor or managing editor of newspapers in five different states and as the executive director of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University. 

  

Slated for Wednesday, Sept. 8, through Saturday, Sept. 11, the Annual Americana Festival and Conference will offer daily seminars, panels and networking opportunities at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel. Walk up registrations may be purchased at a cost of $400 for AMA members and $500 for non-members at the Americana Registration desk, located on the 2nd floor of the Sheraton, starting on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at noon. The Festival portion of the event brings more than 100 stacked musical showcases to key venues throughout Nashville. Approximately 1,000 industry professionals are expected to attend the 2010 conference, while more than 12,000 fans will experience the Festival’s musical events.

 

Full Festival & Conference registrations include access to all panels and presentations, the revamped exhibit hall, invitations to all sanctioned parties, a ticket to the Honors and Awards Show and priority admission to the evening performances. Tickets for the Honors and Awards Show are also available separately for $55 and are available through Ticketmaster, Ryman.com and at the Ryman Box office.

  

Festival Wristbands for the 11th annual Americana Music Festival are available for only $50 at Nashville area favorites, including Grimey’s New and Pre-Loved Music, Davis-Kidd Booksellers, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Store and the Nashville Visitors Center (inside Bridgestone Arena). Wristbands get you admission any sanctioned evening venue over the four day event.